COCRYSTAL TECHNOLOGY – A PARADIGM SHIFT IN PHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATION

Dear Reader, The pharmaceutical industry is undergoing a tremendous shift driven by the pursuit of increased therapeutic effectiveness, stability, and bioavailability of drugs. Among the many formulation options, cocrystal technology has emerged as a pioneering strategy. This editorial attempts to highlight the advances, problems, and future possibilities of pharmaceutical cocrystals. The cocrystals origin dates back to 1844 when Friedrich Wöhler synthesised quinhydrone from quinone and hydroquinone (1:1) but the structure was verified only after a century by single crystal X-ray diffraction. According to a detailed review by Stahley, hundreds of cocrystals were documented in literature of late 19th to early 20th centuries, but they inevitably appeared under other names.